Doors frontman Jim Morrison often went too far, so it's a relief that When You're Strange: A Film About The Doors doesn't. Tom DiCillo's documentary does use the s-word — that would be "shaman"—but doesn't stumble as far into the mystic as Oliver Stone's tripped-out The Doors did.

The reasons to watch filmmaker Tom DiCillo's new documentary on the Doors lie more in the small pictures than the big one. Don't watch it, for instance, hoping to learn whether their late lead singer, Jim Morrison, was a cosmic prophet or just another rock star burnout.

JIM MORRISON'S BOUTS WITH SEX, DRUGS AND BOOZE TAKE CENTRE STAGE IN A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE DOORS, NARRATED BY JOHNNY DEPP.

Anyone considering a documentary about The Doors might understandably focus on their charismatic singer Jim Morrison and his wayward, exasperating behaviour. Yet by the end of Tom DiCillo’s When You’re Strange (narrated by Johnny Depp), one wanted to hear more from his three tolerant, patient colleagues—drummer John Densmore, keyboards player Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger. They must have wanted to throttle Morrison, and especially his monstrous alter ego ’Jimbo.’

FILMMAKER TOM DICILLO'S SPELLBINDING DOCUMENTARY ON THE DOORS SKILLFULLY STITCHES TOGETHER MOSTLY UNSEEN ARCHIVAL MATERIAL TO GIVE A REAL TIME-AND-PLACE FEEL OF BEING WITH ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL BANDS OF THE ROCK ERA.